Abstract
Young adults increasingly face emotional stress, uncertainty, and a lack of accessible, non-judgmental support. While AI technologies are emerging as potential companions, many adopt anthropomorphic and chat-based models that risk emotional overdependence, blurred boundaries, and false intimacy. This research explores how AI systems might be reimagined to foster authentic and ethical forms of companionship that support young adults’ wellbeing. Grounded in Positive Technology and its focus on promoting human flourishing, this research adopts a research-through-design approach, integrating semi-structured interviews, co-design sessions, hands-on prototyping, and user feedback. The resulting prototype, ALONG is a calm, embodied AI companion designed to encourage personal reflection and emotional awareness through daily rituals—without mimicking human emotions. This work contributes to ongoing discussions in design for wellbeing and emotionally supportive technologies, and ultimately to emerging design discourses around AI, emotional experience, and the redefinition of companionship in a technologically mediated society.
Keywords
Design for wellbeing; AI companionship; Positive Technology; AI ethics
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1060
Citation
Zhu, G., Pei, X., and Gaggioli, A. (2026) ALONG the line of emotional support: Reimagining AI companions for young adults’ wellbeing, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1060
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
ALONG the line of emotional support: Reimagining AI companions for young adults’ wellbeing
Young adults increasingly face emotional stress, uncertainty, and a lack of accessible, non-judgmental support. While AI technologies are emerging as potential companions, many adopt anthropomorphic and chat-based models that risk emotional overdependence, blurred boundaries, and false intimacy. This research explores how AI systems might be reimagined to foster authentic and ethical forms of companionship that support young adults’ wellbeing. Grounded in Positive Technology and its focus on promoting human flourishing, this research adopts a research-through-design approach, integrating semi-structured interviews, co-design sessions, hands-on prototyping, and user feedback. The resulting prototype, ALONG is a calm, embodied AI companion designed to encourage personal reflection and emotional awareness through daily rituals—without mimicking human emotions. This work contributes to ongoing discussions in design for wellbeing and emotionally supportive technologies, and ultimately to emerging design discourses around AI, emotional experience, and the redefinition of companionship in a technologically mediated society.